Moment Bush Learned of 9/11 Terror Attacks

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

Teacher Sandra Kay Daniel and former students' from her second grade class at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., witnessed the moment when President George W. Bush learned America was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Now seniors in high school, Natalia Jone-Pinkney, Chantal Guerrero, Mariah Williams, Lazaro Dubrocq, and their teacher talked with "Nightline's" Cynthia McFadden.

Ely Brown/ABC News

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

Teacher Sandra Kay Daniel and former students' from her second grade class at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., witnessed the moment when President George W. Bush learned America was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Now seniors in high school, Natalia Jone-Pinkney, Chantal Guerrero, Mariah Williams, Lazaro Dubrocq, and their teacher talked with "Nightline's" Cynthia McFadden.

Ely Brown/ABC News

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

On Sept. 11, 2001, teacher Sandra Kay Daniels said there was a lot of "buzz" in the room. "Everyone had their hair done and new bows and everything," said Natalia Jones-Pinkney, one of Daniels' former students. Shown here, is President Bush shaking hands with student Lazaro Dubrocq, 7 years old at the time.

Courtesy of The White House

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

That day's reading lesson was focused on the short story, "The Pet Goat." But the president already knew a plane had crashed in New York City before he walked into the classroom. "I had been notified that a plane had hit the World Trade Center," President Bush told National Geographic. "My reaction was, man, either the weather was bad or something extraordinary happened to the pilot."

Orlando Sentinel (used with permission)

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

As the kids began reading the short story, "The Pet Goat," Andrew Card, the president's chief of staff, entered the room, walked over to the president, and whispered in his ear. Shown here is the cover of the children's reading book that contained the short story, that President Bush held on Sept. 11, 2001.

Ely Brown/ABC News

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

The students were just 7 years old at the time, but they could see on the president's face that something had happened. "He looked disconcerted, anxious," recalled Lazaro Dubrocq, another former student. "He was looking at the cameras, the walls." Daniels, the teacher, was also aware of a change in the room. "He left the room. Mentally he was gone."

Courtesy of The White House

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

One year later, the students returned to their former second grade classroom, where their teacher greeted them with hugs. "What happened to us made us part of history," Daniels told "Nightline's" Cynthia McFadden. "And no matter where they go in life they will always be my babies."

Orlando Sentinel (used with permission)

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

The students wrote their signatures inside the book President Bush had held on Sept. 11, 2001. Student Lazaro Dubrocq said he felt proud but sad. "You feel sorrow for the thousands of families who were destroyed that day," he said.

Ely Brown/ABC News

Bush Kids Reading on 9/11, Then & Now

The unforgettable experience the former students shared with President Bush was expressed in a letter dated Sept. 9, 2002 to Natalia Jone-Pinkney: "Dear Natalia, thank you for your letter and thanks for setting the important goal of graduating from college. You and I will never forget Sept. 11, '01. But remember, out of the evil done to America will come good. Best wishes George Bush."